Wildsight helps roll out Carshare in Kimberley
Wildsight helps roll out Carshare in Kimberley
A handy truck is now accessible to co-op shareholders
Have you seen a blue Ford truck with NELSON CARSHARE written on its doors driving around Kimberley or Cranbrook lately?
Did you wish that carbon-friendly vehicle sharing wasn’t just one of those “Nelson” things?
Well, you’re in luck. The next time you see that truck, read the fine print on the door signs and you’ll see “Kimberley Branch.” Yup—that’s right. Kimberley.
It’s a truck—why do they still call it Carshare?
The Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook branch had been kicking around the idea of a car share co-op for a couple of years, said Lars Sander-Green of Wildsight. After some research, the branch decided to join the Nelson Carshare Co-op program.
By February, 2009, enough shareholders had signed up and the Kimberley branch of Nelson Carshare was born—as a truck. It’s a 2004 model with an extended cab and a long box.
There is also a waiting list to add a car to the fleet. “We need about three more people to show interest and we will be able to put a car on the road for the Carshare in Kimberley,” Sander Green said.
So, why a truck first?
“Sharing a truck lets members have one available when they need it, while being able to make other transportation choices in their daily lives,” Sander-Green said.
One local business became a member because it needed a truck to haul inventory. Other members are families who use the truck to haul wood. Many are already car owners—they just need a truck sometimes.
With an initial share cost of $500, (which is returned if a shareholder leaves the non-profit co-operative,) it’s an attractive proposition. Even using the truck just a few times a year makes economic sense. Plus, buying a share gives you access to the Nelson Carshare fleet, which includes cars, vans and trucks.
Environmentally, it’s an even brighter story.
Why share a vehicle?
Sander-Green, like many Wildsight members, is interested in reducing carbon emissions and in transportation alternatives.
“This is the first step,” said Sander-Green. “It increases the availability of lower-carbon ways to get around.
“Carsharing allows families to go car-free—or to go down to a one-car family.”
Car-free: it’s a familiar way of being in cities, but rural residents have tended to question its practicality.
Now they have several regional examples, including new Carshare branches in Kimberley, Golden and Fernie, to look to as proof that it’s a lifestyle choice they can make.
On a roll . . . what’s next in Kimberley
If you live in Kimberley, and you want to be part of Carshare, contact Sander-Green.
You can buy a share that will get you access to the truck and to other vehicles as the fleet expands.
It’s important to understand that the share is not in the vehicle itself, per se, but in the co-operative. That means that members get access to all the Nelson Carshare vehicles.
“In Nelson, members have ten vehicles spread throughout the city—cars, trucks, and vans—and we’d love to see something similar in Kimberley a few years down the road,” Sander-Green said.
Sander-Green said adding a car to the fleet won’t be the last step. Wildsight Kimberley is working on plans to create a “van pool” to Cranbrook. The group is also looking forward to the day when Nelson Carshare—the program that started it all and is now in Nelson, Kaslo, Revelstoke, Golden, Fernie and Kimberley—might change its name.
“Then we won’t be explaining to people who see us driving it that, no, we aren’t from Nelson,” he said.
The biggest complaint
So far, the Kimberley branch of Nelson Carshare has been purring along like a well-tuned engine. The truck is parked downtown so each shareholder can access it. Sander-Green takes care of maintenance and all the booking and payment is done online, through Nelson Carshare.
“There is a great volunteer in Nelson who handles the website and accounting,” Sander-Green said. “The booking is done totally online. It’s pretty good—there is a calendar you can use and off you go.”
There has been one complaint, though.
“One of our member’s kids said he wished the truck was red, not blue. Other than that, everybody’s been pretty happy.”
Carshare contacts
“People in Cranbrook and other cities have been asking us about starting a Carshare,” Sander-Green said. “We encourage them to contact the Nelson Carshare to find out how to start a branch in their city.”
As for the East Kootenay Carshare branches that are up and running, here’s how to contact them:
Car Share: Save Time, Money and the Environment
